toy library any ideas on promoting this?

[penmack]

i run a toy library (as a volunteer)the nch family centre were we were started has been closed and we are moving to a local baptist church hall, so i know have to do the promotion as well. does anyone have any tips on this or any grest idea for out toy library?

internet I guess and contact your local homestart?

you could do a competition for local children to design a poster and have a prizegiving thing?

Can you get some leaflets made up and distribute around pe-schools, nurseries and P&T groups. Also supermarkets and church halls have noticeboards where you could pin a few up.

great idea for the poster competition thanks

does anyone use a local toy library , a few by us have had to close due to lack of use and i not really sure why this is . i think they are a great idea

I used to when DS was smaller, it was combined with a M & T group at the local library. It was run by PSS staff, but funded by Surestart irrc.

yes I did for my middle two, now I don't have time and dd4 just wants to play with the big girl toys! Don't think there is a huge awareness of them tbh. Get health visitors to hand them out at 6 week or 8 month check ups????

I think they're a great idea ... but it took me AGES to track donw thenearest one to here....and I'd never heard of them before someone on here told me about them!
I suspect loads of people would give you free advertising - eg local NCT magazine, all those free parenting magazines (well, there are loads round here anyway!). As well as all the obvious poster-places.
Contact your local paper/s - esp if you can have some kind of event (eg spring clean of toys, to make the change-over)
Love SEA's poster comp idea

If you can combine it with a play session, it makes it more sociable.

we have one at sure start but i think that is even less well attended than ours, even though they have a large toy budget.

rowan we run ours as a stay and play session and i agree it makes it more sociable for the adults, any advice is always greatfully received{smile]

you could put it on the mumsnet location thingi mac whatisit.

cards in local newsagents

Poster in CAB
Volunteer beauraux if you have one
NCT classes
Baby ypga or other baby classes in the area. Posters in other community buildings

thanks some really good ideas